Today’s supermarkets in the United States number a little over 30,000 stores. By definition, a supermarket is considered a retail food store with sales greater than $2 million. Equipment for approximately an additional 4,000 stores are purchased each year, with about 60% new store applications and 40% for remodels.
Remodeled supermarkets are becoming a very important part of this mature industry as prime locations are updated and expanded to meet increased sales volumes. Typically, remodeling happens every seven or eight years, depending on the supermarket chain. There are many potential advantages that enter into the remodel decision, including improved store sanitation, increased sales volume and product offerings, and improved traffic patterns. Over 1,000 new product offerings become available to the supermarket industry each week, so the competition and need for more shelf space is constant.